Dallying With Fire
by Aquarius Galuxy
Summary: The first time Rouge transformed, Ryoma thought he'd died and woken up at the feet of a fiery goddess. PART 2: Falcon and Ayame reflect on the scene they've stumbled upon in the forest.
1. Part 1

_For once, not a piece inspired by a prompt. :P I'm covering the basics of Rouge's and Ryoma's Power-Changed forms here, but I might work on more stuff to do with their transformations. It's an area I haven't explored. In other news, I've finished my Ryoma/Rouge modern day AU, titled _Love from Venus_. It's NC-17, and the link to it can be found on my profile. :P I've still got a bunch of drabbles that aren't posted here yet._

_Please note that this piece is rated PG-13 or possibly R for sexual situations. (Getting a little creative here with Power Change stuff, aren't we?)  
Power Stone does not belong to me. I wish someone would draw some Ryoma porn. XD_

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**Dallying With Fire**

The first time Rouge transformed, Ryoma thought he'd died and woken up at the feet of a fiery goddess. It was as if the myths of his childhood had come to life in the manner of this orange-hued creature, with her hair of fire and the flying carpet she swept around on. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off her, not until his injuries claimed him back into unconsciousness.

The second time Rouge transformed, he had been struck yet again by her ethereal quality, beauty she had in both her forms that he did not possess.

After all, his Power Stone gave him a body made of steel and strength, instead of the elegance Rouge had been granted. His own transformation enhanced his speed and endurance, allowing him a whole different level of skills that he'd never be capable of pulling off as an ordinary _samurai_. There was nothing aesthetic about his robot-esque body that he would readily admire.

Thus, it was to Ryoma's utmost confusion when Rouge tugged on his arm and requested for him to transform, if just so she could study his secondary appearance. He didn't see why she'd want to.

"Please, Ryoma?" she purred, resting her head atop his shoulder in a clearing they'd stopped by on their travels. "I've never seen you up-close when you change."

"I can't abuse my Power Stone just for that purpose." He frowned. Akudo-_sensei_ would be furious if he found out about the favour Rouge was asking. The notion of morphing for entertainment was simply unheard of. "I'm not supposed to use it in battle, much less out of one."

"But I'm not asking for you to fight in that form. What I want is to appreciate all of you, even after you've transformed." She pressed herself into his arm, toying with the navy fabric of his baggy trousers. "This isn't about whether you're a good warrior. It's about whether you can control your Power Stone freely."

"It's still wrong." Ryoma glanced to the side when she smiled, her grey eye gleaming in a way that told of how well she understood him. Or how well she knew he was going to succumb soon enough. He didn't like that he bent to her will so easily. "You know that."

"I know that I want to see all of you." Rouge traced a finger down his throat, right across the spot she'd suckled the night before. His heart quickened.

"Someone might see us," he protested feebly, looking around the clearing for a person he might pin blame on. There wasn't a single soul to be seen. Not Wang-Tang, not Ayame, not even Falcon, as annoying as the pilot could be.

"Oh, loosen up a little, Ryoma. You know full well that there's no one here." Rouge pressed her lips to his jaw, resting her weight on him. His fingers curled into the rough bark of the log they were sitting on. Ryoma didn't want to think how he'd react if she continued with her kisses. "I promise that I won't ask you of this again."

"Just this once." He glanced uncertainly at her, cursing himself for giving in to her yet again.

"Just this once." Her affirmation came in the light brush of her mouth over his.

Heat feathered across his cheeks. He pulled quickly away from her, reaching into his vest for the large citrine gem his mentor had given him. Rouge watched as he got to his feet, her gaze soft and patient. He was suddenly shy under her appraisal, looking away, before a hint of masculine pride turned his face back to hers. He closed his eyes and willed himself to change, feeling the familiar, pulsing heat of his Power Stone seep through his body, pushing at his frame and empowering him with a surge of strength.

Rouge was straightening her countenance from a squint when he opened his eyes again. He kept stock-still; she stood and circled him once, twice, touching her fingertips to the red emblem on his metallic chest. Now that adrenaline wasn't fuelling his blood, he felt her caresses as if she'd stripped him of his clothing. It wasn't an honourable thought.

"You're warm," Rouge observed, lifting her gaze to meet his. He blushed and remained silent. If there was a discolouration of his features, she didn't mention it. Instead, she ran her hands over his body, past the blunt spikes on his shoulders, down his armoured arms, and over his back. She touched his face and the horn extending from his head, gently grasping his fingers. Their eyes met.

Ryoma felt his breath catch. This was Rouge when she wasn't hiding the depth of her feelings behind brazen gestures. If he hadn't liked her before, he certainly did now.

"Sit." The moment vaporized when she released his hand, backing him into the log they'd occupied moments before. He complied with some measure of bewilderment. To his relief, the log didn't fracture when he rested his new weight gingerly on it. Sunlight glinted off his body, attracting her caress.

"Shall I change back now?" It still felt odd speaking without moving his lips. Rouge never seemed to mind, however.

"Not quite yet." She smiled, straddling him easily. Ryoma fought down the thought that she'd been in this position countless times. Rather, he distracted himself with how lightweight she felt, now that he had a body of steel. At his fidgeting, Rouge pulled him into a loose hug, squirming to find a more comfortable spot on his lap. He swallowed. "You aren't as comfy as before."

"Rouge," he protested, eyes widening when she drew away and bent down, fishing her own ruby Power Stone from her satchel on the grass. She wasn't going to-

"You've never really _seen_ me after I've transformed, have you?" Her eye twinkled.

Half his protests died down, though a fresh wave of demurrals rose within him. Rouge, as the goddess of fire, in his lap? It was all very nice, but...

At his silence, she closed her eyes and clasped the stone in her hands, her body emitting such a blinding white glow that he had to look away. Rouge barely shifted from where she'd sat on him. Her body temperature had risen slightly, however. Seconds later, he chanced a look at her, with some apprehension this time.

Ryoma gulped.

Flickering tongues of fire framed her face, covering her hidden eye and trailing where her chocolate braid had been seconds ago. Her visible eye was now ruby-red, affixed on him as she waited for his opinion. She was beautiful. Rouge wasn't just a being of fire; she'd set a slow flame going in his chest that simmered when he was with her, singed him when she wasn't around. It was as if she'd become a part of him.

Ryoma broke out of his thoughts then, scared by what he felt for her. He directed his attention towards her hair. It was a safe subject. The temperature of her flaming tresses had always mystified him. "Your hair," he began, unsure of how to continue.

"Do you like it?" Her lips quirked; quite unexpectedly, Rouge took his hand and brought it to the side of her head, where the red-orange tendrils licked his fingers. A comfortable warmth enveloped his fingertips, far from the sharp pain he'd expected.

He gaped at her. "It's warm."

"For you, it is. But my hair will burn those who touch me without my permission." She looked meaningfully at him.

He avoided her eyes, stroking his palm through the length of her tresses. It was an entirely different experience from touching her genuine hair. "This is amazing."

"I think you're amazing." Rouge smiled at him, fondness written across her expression.

He dropped his palm abruptly and glanced away, to the trees that surrounded them. But it wasn't long before the crescent moon collar that covered her shoulders snared his attention, leading his eyes further down, towards the convex discs that fitted snugly over the tips of her breasts. He knew firsthand what lay behind them. Ryoma felt his blood stir, tried to stop himself from wondering what held those golden pieces in place. It wasn't the shiny band that wrapped around her chest, no. That went beneath her full mounds, doing nothing to hide their lush curves.

He yanked his gaze away, thankful for how well his metallic body hid his arousal.

Nevertheless, Rouge's legs distracted him. The purple pants that slung loosely at her hips had now turned embarrassingly sheer, to the point where he could see her naked thighs beneath the material.

She glanced down at the very moment he realised how much wider her legs had spread to accommodate his transformed body. Ryoma bit down a curse. He was pretty sure that the only object protecting her decency now was the gilted metal heart at her crotch. Not that there were parts of her he hadn't seen. It just wasn't appropriate for her to be this exposed on his lap, nor whenever she fought, wasn't appropriate for her to be tempting him all over again.

"What're you looking at, Ryoma?" She smirked, tipping his chin up with her fingers.

"I-I, uh... N-Nothing..." He suppressed his wayward fantasies with some effort, taking deep breaths before meeting her gaze. "We shouldn't be doing this."

"Is that why you're all hot and bothered?" Her grin grew playful; she eased closer to him, splaying a hand across his chest, before guiding it right down to the juncture of his legs. Ryoma grunted. The pressure of her palm roused him, even if he didn't have an outward reaction to it. Her eye widened. "You really are hot here."

"_Rouge!_" Ryoma squawked when her touch turned exploratory. It wasn't just his face that seared. He struggled to keep his control on his transformed state, afraid of the consequences when he reverted to his original form. Rouge loved it when she elicited a physical response from him.

"Hmm?" She leaned in close, seeking his mouth with hers. It didn't quite matter that he couldn't kiss her back, because she was tracing her lips over the uneven lines of his mouth, smoothing her fingers over where he burned hottest. He grunted; she secured herself to him with an arm around his head, negating his attempts to lean backwards, and away from her.

There was a rustle of bushes to the side. "Rouge? Ryoma? _What in heaven's name are you doing?_"

Shock crippled Ryoma's attempts to end the kiss. He lost his balance and toppled backwards, taking Rouge with him as they crashed onto the grass behind in a heap, bumping their heads together. As one, they changed back to their canon states with the same bright light as before.

Rouge smirked down at him and pressed a wet kiss to his lips. He accepted it dazedly, wondering at the mischief in her eye, until she ground into his hips. He hissed; red stained his cheeks. Their fall hadn't completely removed his arousal. Damn it.

More rustles of grass had Rouge scrambling off him with a squeak. He lifted his head to look at the blond that appeared from behind the log.

"Ayame and I thought something happened in the forest when we saw the white light! How could you do such a thing, Ryoma? What about that honour you're always going on about?" Falcon raised his arms, staring accusingly down at them. The black-haired figure that was Ayame stepped out from behind him, waving sheepishly.

Ryoma covered his face with a hand, vowing never to transform outside a fight ever again.


	2. Part 2

_Second part of Dallying With Fire. I have no plans for a third part as of yet. Falcon and Ayame were kind of pestering for their thoughts to be made known, so. :P The writing style here isn't something I like very much though. But then I prefer it when it's in present tense. This is in past tense to match the previous part.  
And omg, people are actually reading my Power Stone fics? :O Do leave comments on what you think, please and thank you!  
And, and, Swords and Veils isn't actually done yet, there are more drabbles I still haven't posted, and more drabbles I still want to write. :P Will someone else other than me write Rouge/Ryoma stuff too?  
Again, Power Stone doesn't belong to me._

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_**Dallying With Fire (Part 2)**

When nary a word budged from Ryoma's throat, Falcon turned away, huffing impatiently. He hadn't wanted to walk in on Rouge and Ryoma snogging. Or whatever it was they were doing in their Power-Changed states. It looked wrong - that wasn't what their Power Stones were for. Maybe he just felt betrayed because his best buddy got the girl _he_ wanted. "I'm going back to the inn."

Jealousy nibbled away within his ribcage, little by little. As far as Falcon knew, he'd made the first move on Rouge. He'd complimented her, asked her out. He made efforts to visit her at her tent. And no offense to Ryoma, but he was the better-looking of the two of them. He was keener on being more than friends, suaver at handling women. On top of that, he was willing to give Rouge anything she wanted.

So why had she chosen _Ryoma_, of all people? She'd picked him right from the start. Falcon hadn't wanted to see proof of the fling he suspected. They were always together, but a guy could dream, couldn't he? As long as Ryoma hadn't publicly staked his claim on her, he was free to pursue Rouge all he liked.

Until now. Hell, he'd never expected to catch them in such a display of intimacy. It made him cringe to fathom what else they might've done. The man gritted his teeth. Rouge looked like she'd been having the time of her life. It was probably long overdue that he moved on, he concluded in resignation.

Falcon stomped out of the clearing with excess force, glowering at the buildings ahead. It was a bad idea to have followed Ayame into the forest. Even if she _had_ smiled prettily at him.

-x-

Ayame peeked cautiously behind at her two remaining teammates. With Falcon's departure, they had exchanged a glance, slowly getting to their feet. If it weren't for the vermillion tint on their faces, it would seem as though this were a situation they encountered regularly.

She didn't know what she wanted to feel about the pair. On one hand, resentment hid deep within her chest, that she held against Rouge because the latter had snagged Falcon's fancy. On the other, she felt guilty for such a response. Rouge didn't even want his overt concern. Time and again, they'd have the same conversation about the men - Rouge would tell her to go for Falcon, since all she wanted was Ryoma. If only it were as easy as the fortune teller made it out to be.

If Ayame were to be bluntly honest, she'd admit that she didn't get what Rouge saw in the _samurai_. Ryoma wasn't handsome, nor was he kind. He was strong. But then, so was Falcon. And again, all that hardly mattered when Rouge was no true rival of hers. It allowed them both to be closer friends than she'd previously thought.

Yet, as she watched Rouge smile and Ryoma blush from the corner of her eye, Ayame couldn't help but feel a little envious, that Rouge had found her happiness with Ryoma. She was glad for them, and sorry at the same time. Their relationship came at a price. They had no future, quite unlike Falcon, and for that, Ayame was grateful.

Still, it had been a total shock to find Rouge and their comrade all over each other in the forest.

She'd lured Falcon into its verdant depths in a bid to snare his interest, but it backfired miserably. Knowing how far along Rouge and Ryoma were in their courtship was entirely different from actually seeing it with her own eyes. More so when they'd done the unthinkable, of transforming into their battle states. It was beyond intimate, something Ayame would never have thought to learn at her age. Her embarrassment had fallen just short of if she'd found them in a naked tangle.

She cast a last look at the pair, before hurrying after Falcon. It pained her to see how upset he was by the incident.

But maybe, a little voice whispered in her head, just maybe, that was all he needed to change his mind about Rouge. Maybe Falcon would notice her from now on.


End file.
